History in Crisis? Recent Directions in Historiography

Description

For undergraduate courses in Historiography as well special topical courses.

This book explores the possibilities remaining for historical study in the face of the current trends, including postcolonialism, postmodernism, and deconstruction, among others.

Contents


1. What Was History?


2. What Is History?


3. Problems Of Historical Knowledge: Historicism, Presentism, and the Writing Of History.


4. Cross-Pollination.


5. Varieties Of History.


6. Historical Actors.


7. Post Modernist (Re)visions.


8. Post-Colonialism and the Scope of History.


9. The Future of History.


Index.

Features

• NEW - Analysis of 20th and 21st century trends in historiography.

  • Provides students with an assessment of twenty-first century developments in post colonialism, macro-history and professional standards.

• NEW - Introduction to twenty-first century issues within the historical profession—i.e., The American Historical Association's 2003 issuance of a statement of standards of professional conduct.

  • Enables students to become informed participants in history, understand how historians act, and learn what the contemporary pursuit of history entails.

• Explores methods, practices and theoretical assumptions—Employed by historians of Europe in their efforts to reconstruct and interpret the past.

  • Provides students with an introduction to historical research, a survey of the formal philosophy of history, and a critical investigation of questions and concerns of contemporary historians.

• General overview of standard intellectual history—Including the major schools, issues and questions ranging from science to morality, philosophy to anthropology.

  • Provides students with the traditional foundations of intellectual history.

• Comprehensive survey of historical writing.

  • Introduces students to the assumptions and orientations influencing the writing of history, as well as the major figures and schools.

• Thematic approach.

  • Allows instructors to spread assignments over the entire semester and to complement the book with a wide range of other possible reading.

• Relevant current issues—e.g., Recent controversies over museum exhibits and national standards for history which are forcing a reconsideration of the focus and political nature of historical study.

  • Provides students with an accessible presentation of current issues as they impact history.